MK Stalin Planning Tamil Nadu Cabinet Changes Amid Row Over Minister’s Leaked Audio

Chennai: Days after a controversy over audio clips purportedly showing MK Stalin’s Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, often known as PTR, making remarks against the Chief Minister’s family, rumours suggest that MK Stalin is preparing a mini-reshuffle of his cabinet.

According to sources, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu is set to travel abroad later this month, hence a cabinet reshuffle is anticipated within the next two weeks.

DMK MLA TRB Rajaa, who represents the Mannargudi constituency, may be inducted into the cabinet, according to certain DMK leaders. He is the son of former Union Minister and DMK MP TR Baalu and a three-time MLA.

The other candidate is E Raja, an MLA from Sankarankovil.

53 ministers make up the state cabinet, which is close to the 15% limit of the state’s total MLAs. Any new induction would require asking some people to resign.

The key question is whether state Finance Minister PTR will survive the shake-up, even if some claim that at least two Ministers who have not done well could be asked to go.

The PTR audio files, in which the Minister is alleged to have made certain comments about the assets of the DMK’s first family, were dismissed last week by the Chief Minister as “cheap politics.”

PTR is alleged to have made comments regarding Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi and son-in-law V Sabareesan in two audio clips, one of which was published by state BJP leader K Annamalai. The minister has vehemently refuted these claims.

The Minister argued that the clips were forged using cutting-edge technology while denying the accusations.